Bow legged?

I was looking at pictures recently and noticed that Datsyuk seems to be a little bow legged, I always noticed it but I never thought anything of it. Obviously Datsyuk is a great player and skater, do you think there is any advantage or disadvantage to this as a skater or even just as an athlete in general?

Its hilarious isn't it? Really puny and thin, compare them to Lidstrom's stocky legs. I saw some comments on HFboards suggesting his bow legs may be related to his skating style (I'm no skating coach, but he obviously skates differently to anyone else that I can think of)

You look at Datsyuk and you would never guess he was one of the most talented athletes on Earth.

"If I can be totally honest, it's not a lot of guys you get impressed by. Actually, it's no one else but him. From the bench, to see what move he makes -- you're like, 'I wish I could do that.' Sometimes you sit on the bench and just think, 'wow,' and you look over to the other bench and they sit there and shake their heads, too. He has great, great skills. I'm probably not going to play with another player who has the kind of skills he has." Mikael Samuelsson on Pavel Datsyuk

When they were originally scouting Datsyuk and evaluating him as a potential NHLer, the bow-legged comments popped up pretty regularly. I know at one point someone (Jim Nill?) referred to him as a "little pigeon-toed kid that the puck followed around."

there was a legendary soccer player Garrincha who also was bow legged. I've never seen him playing in person but people say that due to this he always used only one deke. All players knew it and studied it to death and still bit on that. Pretty similar to Dats I would say... It is not like you can't teach a player to play against Datsyk. He is just different compared to ALL other players in the world and this makes him that special.

Sweet. This dude was brought here for one reason, to punch people in the head - every other thing that he can do, other Wings can do better. I like that we have a head-puncher. The league has other, better head-punchers, but this one is ours. Better than nothing. Good work, Kenny!

When they were originally scouting Datsyuk and evaluating him as a potential NHLer, the bow-legged comments popped up pretty regularly. I know at one point someone (Jim Nill?) referred to him as a "little pigeon-toed kid that the puck followed around."

wasn't that Zetterbeg? "This skinny little kid that no-one could get the puck off"

"If I can be totally honest, it's not a lot of guys you get impressed by. Actually, it's no one else but him. From the bench, to see what move he makes -- you're like, 'I wish I could do that.' Sometimes you sit on the bench and just think, 'wow,' and you look over to the other bench and they sit there and shake their heads, too. He has great, great skills. I'm probably not going to play with another player who has the kind of skills he has." Mikael Samuelsson on Pavel Datsyuk

And then there's Pavel Datsyuk, flitting about like wisps of smoke, appearing here and there to suffocate offensive players before gusting back with the wind in the opposite direction.

This guy thinks his skill is due more to an ice cream head and not bow legs.

It's only logical, then, to assume he's not from this planet. It has to be true, what with that ice cream cone shaped head and ability to use a stick made of black matter, I assume. I assume it's made of black matter, because apparently nobody's able to lift it when he has the puck, yet he's able to dictate where every other player's stick goes when he wants what they have.

This guy thinks his skill is due more to an ice cream head and not bow legs.

Really great read and nice that Dats is getting his due.

Thanks for posting that article.

My favorite part: His game has no excess, just artistry. Somehow he's flashy but not showy, confident but not cocky, and along the way he helps folks remember what being a "fan" is supposed to be like.

It's amazing how much clarity comes when you care more about the Red Wings than any individual player.

"They are the best team in the world. They are a team that can just take over when they want to," Chicago's Patrick Kane said (of the Detroit Red Wings).

My favorite part: His game has no excess, just artistry. Somehow he's flashy but not showy, confident but not cocky, and along the way he helps folks remember what being a "fan" is supposed to be like.

Great article, best way I can describe Datsyuk is that he is the NHL's version of Tom Brady.